GCNet will continue to provide quality e-solutions

July 13, 2017

Source: thebftonline.com/Ghana

for ease of doing business;

business competitiveness

Revenue generation

The Ghana Community Network Services Limited (GCNet) has assured government and all its stakeholders of its continued commitment to providing quality and innovative e-solutions towards promoting Trade facilitation, business development, revenue mobilization and Ghanaian business competitiveness.

In this regard, GCNet completely rejects the false and misleading stories about its services, publicized in some sections of the media recently, and attributable to a Ghana Ports & Harbour Authority Terminal Supervisor. These stories which are calculated to tarnish GCNet's image and outstanding track record should be discarded.

GCNet is focused on generating and deepening value for the Ghana Revenue Authority, and all our stakeholders as well as operators of port businesses that rely on our platform. To this end the Company continuously invests heavily in modern technology, equipment and human resources. We therefore re-assure our stakeholders that our services will continue to be rendered with the professionalism and efficiency that have been our hallmark.

As regards the issue of system availability and uptime, GCNet wishes to affirm that, all its deployed systems have recorded an average uptime of over 98% which is in full conformity with all comparable global industry standards. Indeed this level of system availability has been adjudged to be highly commendable given the peculiarities of the environment in which such sophisticated systems have been deployed. This has been possible and maintained by GCNet through investment and management of a wide range of dedicated and supplementary network links to each of the 97 GRA Customs sites plus other stakeholdersâ€™ operational sites including Elubo, Kofi Badukrom, Kulungugu, Paga, Akanu, Kpoglo, Gonokrom, among others.

For the Tema Port, in particular, a fiber optic network has been deployed by GCNet with radio links on high bandwidth as backup. The systems also have dynamic routing to ensure continuous and uninterrupted service.Â Furthermore, GCNet also maintains, supplementary power supply systems on a permanent basis to all sites to ensure continuous availability of the system in the event of power outages from the national grid.

Consequently, the allegation that was touted in the press about the GCNet system being down whenever there is a rainstorm is a mere fabrication with no technical validity or empirical basis. As with all systems there are planned maintenance periods and occasional periods of system down-time due to network challenges. In those situations, GCNet is proactive by ensuring that all Stakeholders are duly provided with SMS and e-mail alerts in accordance with best industry practice.

Given the centrality of the GCNet platform for Government revenue mobilization and Trade Facilitation throughout the country, it is inconceivable that any such service interruption can be allowed to persist for any significant period without impacting the critical revenue targets of the Government. In any case, even when there have been so called Acts of God such as a fire outbreak, which ordinarily could be categorized as force majeure circumstances, as happened on 22nd June, 2013, GCNet's business continuity and contingency strategy was successfully invoked to ensure full service delivery to the entire country, with minimal effect.

With over 8,000 users on the various deployed systems including: GPHA ports, shipping lines, consolidators , terminal operators, Custom officials, transitors, warehouse operators, MDAs, Free Zone operators, OMCs, among others, GCNet remains proactive in ensuring that the highest and most advanced systems are deployed within the ambit of the Single Window system.

Indeed GCNet is already fully poised to give full effect to the pursuit of the paperless transactions regime which was announced by H.E. the Vice President and expected to come into force from September 1, 2017. It is on record that GCNet provided a paperless clearance system several years earlier, and won a World Customs Organisation Award as far back as January 2014. GCNet is therefore collaborating with the authorities to ensure that this objective is fully realized within the timeframe stipulated.

In the light of the foregoing, GCNet wishes to categorically assure all stakeholders that its services are efficient with minimal down-times, when they occur. It is for no other reason that GCNet has been showcased at various fora as a model Private Public Partnership, which has also earned it several accolades, both locally and internationally including the Best Ghana Club 100 ICT Company of the Year for 2016, the 2015 Best e-Solutions Provider and the Best ICT Company in the Public Sector during the Ghana Information Technology and Telecommunications (GITTA) Awards for 2015. To top this, GCNet was selected as the Best Trade Facilitation Company of the Year with the best CEO Of the Year during the maiden Ghana Shippers Awards ceremony held on June 30, 2017.

While the above accolades may showcase the company positively, the very mission and core values of GCNet are themselves symptomatic of quality service delivery and innovation, and are reflected in the GCNet corporate motto "we help Ghana by putting in place the right systems for development."

The recent false and misleading media report on aspects of our operations are therefore baseless and highly regrettable as GCNet is a responsible, professional and critical partner that is fully committed to supporting Government and stakeholders efficiently in revenue mobilization and trade facilitation on the platforms that have been deployed nationwide

GCNet once again assures all our stakeholders of our continued delivery of high quality services in accordance with international best practices, and with professionalism and integrity towards furthering Ghana's national development. We will build on our 15 year track record of excellence and innovation while working with Government and the people of Ghana to contribute to national development for the benefit of all Ghanaians.